The book attempts to recapture the material milieu, spiritual anchorage and power and authority of SaivaSiddhanta ascetics in the Vindhyan woodlands of central India during the early medieval times. In doing so, it also highlights contradictions that coupled renunciation with acquisitive monasticism, piety with power, and militancy with asceticism. The details tend to betray territorial ambition of the renouncers who carved out a vast network of prosperous mathas— the spectacular structures generally ignored in our studies so far— as their strongholds amidst the raw and hazardous woodlands (atavis) lived by indomitable autochthons (atavikas). The book highlights the renouncer-woodlander coalition institutionalized under the monasteries, temples and sculpture. Sculptures among these, in particular, portray queer female deities, fierce goblins, banshees and ascetics too, all integrated with conventional divinities, which composed the Saiddhantika monastic art and architecture.

Preface and Acknowledgements

1. Introduction: Settings of Monastic Art and its Makers
Saiva-Siddhanta
Ataviand Atavikas
Gopacala in Profile
Marginalised State of Polity in Gopacala and Dahala

Professor R.N. Misra taught at the Universities of Saugor, Gwalior and Allahabad (1959-2001) and was also a Fellow of Indian Institute of Advanced Study (1973-75; 2002-05) and Tagore National Fellow (2012-15) affiliated to the Archaeological Survey of India.
The books he authored include Bharhut (in Hindi, 1971), Ancient Artist and Art Activity (1975), Indian Sculptures (in Hindi: 1978, 2002, 2008), Yaksha Cult and Iconography (1981), Sculptures of Dahala and DaksinaKosala (1987), Ancient Indian Society, Economy and Religion (in Hindi, 1991, 1994), Silpa in Indian Tradition (2009) and Outlines of Indian Arts (edited, 2014).

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